Messageboard - Development

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ink said: This project is truely disappointing. A city full of parking lots and we tear down two perfectly good buildings. The Trautman Building might not look too great with its present 1960′s cladding, but I am not convinced there is not potential hidden behind. The interior holds details like this stairwell:

I just don’t see this building as worth saving. If the old building still stood I’d be in, but even then, High Street is different to me. Other streets I like to see more preservation, but High Street is our main “spine” and I expect it to constantly change and improve.

I really do think a 19th/early 20th century building with a 1960s storefront has more character and civic value than a newly-built condo tower on top of a parking garage. A faux-historic facade in “traditional styling” destroyed the real historic character of the original Wendy’s in downtown. I have no desire to see any more buildings be covered with fake historic exteriors. Its okay to build new buildings in new styles in the 21st century. However, I think it is a mistake to tear down some of the few remaining actually-historic buildings in our downtown. Vibrant and interesting downtowns have a mix of new and historic buildings. If we want to achieve that mix for our city, I’m afraid downtown really can’t afford to tear down any more historic buildings.

futureman said: Those 1960’s panels are absolutely horrendous, are you honestly saying you want to keep them?

I’d would have liked seen the Trautman building restored, rather then demolished tho. But given this development would add density, continue with ground retail and be designed in more traditional style I’m regrettably OK with demolition of the existing structures.

ehill27 said: There are a t-o-n of apartment projects in the works in the greater downtown. I hope they feed off each other and create more demand, but we could actually reach the tipping point.

From what I’ve been reading on national demographics lately, we won’t be reaching the tipping point anytime soon. Only the very first of the Baby Boomer generation is hitting the retirement age, which means the downsizing “empty nest” wave has only recently begun. Couple that with the large Millennial Generation, which half of is still college age or younger, and you’ve got a second wave of the population shifting toward urban living.

The demand for urban housing is likely to continue to grow all across the US for at least another 10-20 years. We’re not going to reach a tipping point anytime soon.

I hope they end up trying to save the Trautman Building if the condition allows for it. Unless it is full of mold or there are significant structural problems, it’s hard to imagine it would be beyond saving.

i am as big a preservationist as they come…ok, maybe not the biggest…but still, I like to save stuff…but the talk about saving the trautman building? really? it’s historic character is gone. we’re not getting it back. What would we be saving? a box? I’m more concerned about the really cool bank building on the corner than trautman

cbustransit said: i am as big a preservationist as they come…ok, maybe not the biggest…but still, I like to save stuff…but the talk about saving the trautman building? really? it’s historic character is gone. we’re not getting it back. What would we be saving? a box?

It is quite possible a good deal of architectural character still resides under that paneling. There was a lot of Viollet-le-Duc revisionist renovations in the 50’s and 60’s but something may still survive beneath.

That is true. I’m sure the cornice is gone however…and you’re not going to see anything done with that bank building or the small spot behind it ever…they just don’t fit today’s building pattern. At least not until the downtown market is completely changed.

If we think to places we love–like the scioto mile and the lazarus building–there were things there before them that had to be taken down to build new things. If this building looks good, then they should build it.